Upton Congratulations Blackburn on Appointment to House Budget Committee

Statement

U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) today congratulated incoming full committee Vice Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) upon her appointment to the House Budget Committee. The Budget Committee will work to provide a framework to address the trillion dollar deficits of the last four years and the $16 trillion debt that has plagued the American economy. Blackburn's tenure and experience on Energy and Commerce will be an asset in the pursuit of important entitlement reforms that will help rein in the debt.

"The stakes could not be higher with our children's futures now in jeopardy if we fail to get our spending under control and meaningfully reduce our $16 trillion debt -- and it will be the work of the Budget Committee that will help chart our way out of this fiscal nightmare. When the Congressional Budget Act first envisioned the makeup of that important panel, entitlement programs were a much smaller share of the overall fiscal picture. Given these programs' place at the center of today's fiscal challenges, it's important to have the Energy and Commerce Committee engaged in these crucial debates," said Chairman Upton. "Incoming Energy and Commerce Committee Vice Chairman Marsha Blackburn will be an important voice on the Budget Committee, especially as Congress confronts unsustainable entitlement spending and seeks to preserve these programs for future generations. Blackburn's appointment to the Budget Committee is an important recognition that the work of our Committee on Energy and Commerce -- addressing how to modernize entitlements like Medicaid and Medicare -- can be translated to the work of responsibly crafting our nation's long-term fiscal blueprint."

Incoming committee Vice Chairman Blackburn added, "The real problem facing America today is not that Washington taxes too little, it's that we spend too much. We can't continue to kick the can down the road. It's time to implement real reforms and put an end to the waste, fraud, and abuse that got us into this fiscal mess in the first place. I am looking forward to working with Chairman Ryan to craft a responsible budget that puts the focus back on the innovators and job creators who drive our economy."

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